Folding egg-crate.



PATENTED AUG. 25, 1908-.

T. W. KENDALL.

FOLDING EGG CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

witnesses I ED o FllQ-Es TRAVIS W. KENDALL, F HOPE; ELL, KENTUCKY.

' ronnrne stee ness.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patented Aug. 25, 1.908.

' new and useful Improvements in Folding Egg-Crates, of which the following 1s a SPQClrfication, reference being had to the accent panying drawings. 4

-My invention relates to im rovements in folding crates for eggs and. the ilre and. it consists of the novel construction. and the combination and arrangement of parts herein I after described and claimed.

One object of the invention is to provide, a folding crate which has all of its parts hingedly connected so that they may he.

quickly and easily opened up and secured together to render the crate ready for use and as readily unfastened and folded together to occupy but little space and thus facilitate storage and transportation.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a folding egg crate in which the fillers or spacing and cushioning devices for the eggs are so constructed that they may be folded Within the crate when the latteris folded or collapsed, thus dispensing with the necessity of removing the fillers from the crate and folding them separately.

The above and other objects, which. will appear as the nature of the inventionis hetter understood, are attained in the construca view of the crate in its folded position; Fig.

5is a perspective view of one of the filler sec tiorisjand Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are views of the strips from which the filler. sections are made.

My improved crate, box or the like consists of two sides 1, 2 pivotally connected by strap'hinges 3 or equivalent devices to two ends 4, 5, and top and bottom members 6; 7

which are connected by similar hinges 8 to the edges of the sides 1, 2. The hinges 8 are arranged. u on the opposite longitudinal edges of sai sides so that the to 6 can fold down against the outer face oft e side '1 to up. against the outer face of the side 2 which carries it. The hinges 3 which connect the sides andend's are so arranged that said parts may fold together as shown in Fig. 4. If do sirer. I may also employ a transverse center part or partition 9 which is hinged at one end as at 10 to one of the sides so that it can fold parallel with the ends when the body of the crate is folded or collapsed. 1

For the purpose of maintaining the body of the crate in its opened position and securing the top and bottom to the sides and ends 'which'it is hinged and the bottom 7 can fold 1 preferably provide in each of said ends catches 11. adapted to engage keepers 12 upon the top and bottom members. I also provide upon the center of the free longitudinal ed e of each of the latter hasps 13 which have t eir hinged parts slotted. to receive keeper hooks is pivoted u" on plates 15 which are secured upon the si es as more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings.

These hasps l3 serve the further pur ose of securing all of the parts of the'crate in their folded position as will be seen upon reference to Fig. l in which the slotted hinged mem here of the hasps are engaged with keeper secured to the top and bottom members adjacent to their corners.

When the crate is to he used for shipping eggs or the like l. arrange within its body on opposite sides of its central partition 9 a plurality of superposed filler sections which serve to space theeggs apart and to cushion them. These filler sections or devices are so constructed that they need not he removed from the crate when it is folded or collapsed but will fold with the same, and they are also so constructed as to dispense with the necessity of separate spacing sheets which are usually interposed between the su erposed filler sections. The construction 0 the lattcr is clearly shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings, upon reference. to which it will be seen that each comprises a plurality of parallel strips 18 formed in, their ioottom edges with. vertical slots 19 having angular lower ends so, and a plurality of parallel strips 21 which are adapted to intersect the strips 18 at right angles and which are formed in their upper edges with slots 22 and in their lower edges with slots 23, the latter being arhooks 16 pivoted upon plates 17 which are I ranged in vertical alinement with the slots 22 so as to provide necks 24 which enter the straight upper portions of the slots 19 of the strips 18. The strips 21 are broader than the strips 18 and the slots 23 are comparatively long so that they form upon the bottom edges of said strips 21 a plurality of tongues 25 which. are adapted to be bent substantially at right angles to the body portions of said strips 21 and to form bottoms for the egg receiving pockets or compartments formed between the parallel intersecting strips 18 and 21 as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 2 and 5.

By constructing the strips 21 with the bottom tongues or flaps 25 it will be seen that the necessity for separate spacing sheets between the superposed filler sections will be obviated and that when a filler section is placed in position the tbngues or flaps 25 will assume a horizontal position and rest upon the eggs in the section immediately below and thus space the eggs apart. Since the number of rows of compartn'lents formed by the parallel strips 18 will be one less than the number of said strips one of the endmost ones of the latter has the tongues or flaps 25 omitted from its bottom edge. This end strip is denoted by the numeral 26 and is shown in Fig. 8. Then the filler sections fold the tongues or flaps 25 swing downwardly hence the lowermost section or sections in the crate must be without said tongues or flaps otherwise the latter would project beyond the bottom edges of the sides and ends of the crate when folded and be torn and injured in transportation. 1 therefore omit said tongues or flaps 25 from the lowermost filler section or sections and in order to cushion the eggs in said sections I provide upon the upper or inner face of the bottom 7 c ushioning sheets 27 which may be tacked or otherwise suitably secured. Similar cushioning sheets 28 are placed upon. the under or inner face of the top 6 so as to protect the eggs in the uppermost filler section or sections in the crate. I

. It will be understood that the different members of the crate may be of any suitable form. and construction and that the strips of the filler sections and the sheets 27, 28 may be made of card board or any other suitable sheet material that will serve to cushion and protect the eggs.

By constructing the filler sections as above described it will be seen that they may be simultaneously folded within the crate when the latter is folded and may be returned to the shipper in a practically perfect condition.

Owing to the construction of the crate it may be quickly and easily set up for use in which condition it will be strong and durable, and as readily collapsed or folded for transportation or storage.

Having thus described my invention What I claim is:

1. In a folding egg crate, the combination with a body foldable in the direction of its length, of a plurality of filler sections superposed within the body and foldable simultaneously therewith, certain of said filler sec tions having bottom portions adapted to fold downwardly into the filler sections beneath them, substantially as set forth.

2. A folding egg crate comprising sides and ends hingedly connected at their meeting edges to permit the crate to fold in the direction of its length to fold together, top and bottom members hinged to diagonally opposite edges of said sides so as to fold against their outer faces, a plurality of super-.

posed filler sections arranged within the crate and foldable s multaneously with the same, saidfiller sections being composed of intersecting strips notched to interlock and adapted to provide egg compartments, certain of said strips being formed upon their bottom edges with foldable flaps or tongues to form bottoms for the compartments and to separate the eggs in the superposed sections, the lowermost section being without said flaps or tongues and the latter upon each of the other sections being adapted to drop into the cornpartments of the section immediately below when the sections are folded, a cushioning sheet fixed upon the inner face of the bottom member to cushion the eggs in the lowermost section, a cushioning sheet fixed upon the inner face of the top member to cushion the eggs in the uppermost section, and fastening devices for securing the sides, ends and top and bottom members of the crate in their open and folded positions, substantially as set forth.

3. In a folding egg crate, the combination with a body having sides and ends hingedly connected to fold together, of a plurality of foldableliller sections arranged in superposed relation in the body and each consisting of notched intersecting strips adapted to form egg compartments, certain of said strips being formed upon their bottom edges with tongues or flaps which are adapted to form bottoms for the egg compartments, said tongues or flaps being of slightly less width than said compartments whereby they may drop into the compartments of the section immediately beneath the one which carries them when the body and filler sections are folded, substantially as set forth.

4. A foldable filler section for an egg crate, comprising the strip 26 and the two sets of parallel strips 18, 21 arranged to intersect and form egg compartments, the strips 18 being formed with the slots 19 having the angular lower ends 20, the strips 21 being formed with the slots 22, and the slots 23 arranged in elinernent With each other to provide the necks 24 and the tongues 25, the slots 22- being adapted to receive the upper portion of the strips 18 and the necks 24 being adapted to enter the slots 19 and to be retained therein by the angular lower ends 20 of the latter, the tongues 25 being adapted to be bent at right angles to the necks 2 and signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

TRAVIS W. KENDALL.

Witnesses:

CHESTER A. BENNETT, GEORGE A. CoRUM. 

